We get asked this question all. the. time. And it’s a good one, I’ll admit. Because it has to do with my favorite poodle pants…Oliver!
Seems a few folks really want to know what the heck we do with Oliver when we go to shore???
The answer…it depends!
We really try to bring Oliver to shore with us pretty much whenever we can. Oliver is not (yet) trained to go potty on the boat (although I can’t say we haven’t tried, and tried, and tried) so he requires regular everyday land breaks. He is very accustomed to dinghy life and knows that the dinghy = land = potty break. Except of course when we are at a lovely marina (like we are now) and then he’s living the high life with extra easy bathroom breaks and chilly a/c.
So if we can bring him wherever we’re going, we do. It’s one less trip to shore that way. And most of the islands we’ve visited so far on this journey have been perfect stomping grounds for dogs (particularly all the awesome secluded beaches in the Bahamas).
We really wouldn’t feel comfortable restricting Oliver to a boat-only lifestyle. I know it works really well for other cruisers, but it’s definitely not for us. Oliver really enjoys meeting other people and other friendly dogs and I can’t imagine how depressed he would be if he had to stay put on our boat and just stare at my and Jereme’s faces all the time. I like knowing that he gets the chance to stretch his legs and smell new places. He loves it! And that’s why we made sure he had all the necessary shots/certificates/etc. to be allowed to enter any of the island countries we visit. Plus, he received the full veterinary rundown before we left Naples, so he is good to go in the health department when it comes to land visits. Oliver also gets a regular flea/tick/heartworm treatment to prevent any unwanted critters from jumping aboard with him.
Side note… ^^these^^ photos were taken pre-haircut. In case you were wondering. ;))
There are still definitely those times when we just can’t feasibly bring our favorite furball with us to shore. Some of the most recent scenarios that come to mind include hiking the waterfalls in the DR, riding motorbikes, or any other land excursions (even grocery shopping) that aren’t exactly pet-friendly.
When that’s the case, we always leave Oliver below deck in the safety of our boat. Just like we would leave him inside our home in Naples when we went to work all day. I mean, our boat is pretty cush if you ask me…who wouldn’t want to hang >>here<<? ;))
Down below deck he is safe and comfortable, and we don’t have to worry about the scary possibilities of him falling off the boat, jumping out, or worse. The conditions below deck are just as they would be if Jereme and I were there too! We leave several windows and hatches open for Oliver, along with our usual fans blowing full speed. It’s literally the same temp it would be if we were sitting there with him. He’s not suffering by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, I think he would be worse off left in the cockpit, where it can get very warm with the sun beating down. Not to mention, if we left him in the cockpit, then we would need to restrain him with a lease or tether and I would probably be a total loser worry-wart the entire time we were away thinking that he was going to strangle himself.
So, there you have it. Oliver gets toted to shore whenever and wherever possible, but stays safely below deck in the comfort of our little boat home if we can’t feasibly bring him with us.
You can check out more about Oliver and his boaty boat dog lifestyle here on our blogsite.
>>Thanks for visiting LAHOWIND sailing blog! We’d love for you to get to know us and follow our story as we attempt to navigate a whole new world of sailing, as we cruise the Caribbean. …Learn more about us and our sailing + cruising adventures.
(Puerto Real, Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico)
Catchy title, isn’t it? ;)) Jereme came up with that little gem.
One of the fun items on our growing to-do list while in Puerto Rico, was sending one of us up the mast to fix/replace our flag halyard and also remove our already-broken-after-only-a-few-months (seriously, wth?) wind instrument to send in to Raymarine to fix. And since I’m not positive I’d know how exactly to remove the wind instrument (or be super excited to even try while dangling 50 feet up in the air), Jereme was the lucky one who got to climb up.
Since owning the boat, Jereme has been up the mast (well, halfway up) one other time. And that was to replace our spreader lights. When Jer went up the mast that first time back in our home port of Naples, he wore a rock climbing harness and had a buddy of his hoist him up (while wearing our GoPro so of course I made a video). The second time someone needed to go up the mast, it was while we were moored in Boot Key Harbor, Marathon, Florida, but we got smart and hired a great guy from the harbor to climb up and install our new wind instrument and wind vein, replace our anchor light, and replace our vhf antenna.
This time, we knew one of us would have the dirty job of mast-climbing, and I don’t think either of us were looking forward to it. Luckily, we were given a top-climber before leaving Naples, so this time Jereme used the top-climber, while also wearing a rock climbing harness attached to a spare halyard (as a safety backup). The top-climber is much better for us since it allows someone to climb up the mast themselves (i.e. Jereme doesn’t have to rely on my dinky muscles to winch him up). Sail Far Live Free has an awesome and super thorough review of the topclimber system and how to use it if you are looking for the inside scoop!
Side note, Jere also followed some of his own advice from his first trip up, and not only wore shoes this time, but also used a new tool bag that’s much easier to find what you are looking for when suspended up in the air.
Replacing the flag halyard was a simple fix. Fast and easy! My favorite kind of boat project.
But while fixing the flag halyard at mid-mast, Jereme noticed that one of our new spreader lights was a bit loose, so we added an impromptu third mast-project while up in the air. Thank goodness Mr. Engineer is always thinking and brought a few extra tools up the mast with him, so he was able to fix that spreader light right on the spot.
After fixing the flag halyard and spreader light, Jereme kept climbing to the tippy-top of the mast to get to work on removing our wind instrument.
Okay, so a little background on our wind instie…we bought it right before we left Naples and really liked it because it was wireless (so we didn’t need to run wires down the mast). We had the instrument installed in Marathon, Florida where it worked perfectly for the next two months. After those first two great months ended, the head unit (in the cockpit) powered on without any problems, except it wouldn’t/couldn’t read the data coming from the sending unit (at the top of the mast). It always showed dashes on the screen instead of any real wind data. Fortunately, a wind instrument is basically an unnecessary luxury instrument, if you will, so we’ve been able to manage just fine without it for the past two months. It did, however, cost a pretty penny at purchase so we aren’t okay with just letting it go. I mean, what kind of lifespan is 2 dinky months???
Taking down the wind instrument was another semi-simple job (coming from the girl who stood on deck just taking photos during the whole procedure). And now our instrument is currently en route to Raymarine where they will hopefully be able to fix it and return it to us while we are still here in Puerto Real, Cabo Rojo.
How great is the view of s/v LAHO from 50 feet up in the air? I love ^^these^^ photos that Jer captured while up at the top of the mast.
I think Jer must constantly be looking for boat projects to add to our to-do list or something because while he was at the top of the mast, he noticed that our jib halyard had basically almost chafed all the way through, right where it’s spliced. We’re pretty sure the chafing happened from the halyard rubbing against a fair lead (u-shaped metal piece) located at the top of the mast. We went ahead and added this as a 4th (and unplanned) project to the mix while up the mast. :((
Unfortuantely, this new little project couldn’t really be fixed while up in the air so we made a mental note to take care of the halyard while in Puerto Real. As luck would have it, we just recently had to take down our jib sail in preparation for this weekend’s tropical storm (more on our prep and storm ride out coming soon!), so now we will simply need to cut off the piece of the halyard that has chafe and knot the halyard (instead of using a splice) back to the shackle before we put the sail back up. Hopefully, we will be able to cross this one off in the next day or two!
Oh and I almost forgot…as if two projects that turned into four wasn’t enough fun for one day, I may or may not have accidentally let go of one of the loose halyards after Jereme came down from his exhausting climb, causing him to have to climb the mast a second time to retrieve the loose line. Oh and then once he was down from the extra second climb, we realized the halyard was on the wrong side of the spreader…so back up he went! For a third time. Whoopsies. ;))
Anyhoo, while Jer was in the air, he snapped a bunch of photos of the marina and surrounding views of Puerto Real… Pretty nice little place, isn’t it? :))
>>Thanks for visiting LAHOWIND sailing blog! We’d love for you to get to know us and follow our story as we attempt to navigate a whole new world of sailing, as we cruise the Caribbean. …Learn more about us and our sailing + cruising adventures.
Posted in Boat Life, Boat Projects, Puerto Rico, Sailing BlogTags: Boat Life, Boat Projects, Cabo Rojo, Caribbean, Climbing the Mast, Cruising, LahoWind, Mast Climb, Puerto Real, Puerto Rico, Sailboat, Sailing Blog, Top Climber
Awhile back, I attempted to write a blog post with tons of various photography-related info squeezed into one crazy long post. It was just a little glimpse into my photography brain. However, after receiving several inquiries about my photography/equipment/post-processing/photo style/etc. and also taking a cue from my super creative sister, Susan, who currently writes a weekly photo series on her own blog, I decided…why not do the same and start a blog series that goes into a bit more detail about photography? So here I am. I’ll try and cover lots of different photo-related questions that I’ve received over the past few months. If there’s something specific you’re dying to know, tell me, please!
Okay, so first things first — one of the most frequent questions I get is… what equipment do I use??? Well, take a peek inside my cruising camera bag…
Canon EOS 7D.
My SLR camera body. What I love about it…the bang for the buck! The 7D comes close to the 5D Mark iii in many of its features, but at a price that is $2,000+ less. And hello, that is a deep discount. Plus, it’s fast! The 7D can capture images at up to 8 frames per second in machine gun mode, which puts it in the category with other pro-level sports cameras. What I don’t like about the 7D…well it’s not a full frame camera, meaning what I see behind the lens is a bit less than what I would see with a full frame camera. My next SLR body will definitely be the Canon 5D Mark iii because of the full frame sensor.
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8l ii lens.
I recently added this awesome lens to my camera bag shortly before leaving on our cruising adventure. This particular one has easily become my “go-to” lens because it gives me flexibility of a zoom lens while maintaining the awesomeness of a low aperture value. If you can only have one lens, and you’re not sure what kind of lighting or space situation you’ll be up against, this or a similar zoom lens is one you would probably want in your arsenal.
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 lens.
After beginning my photography career with the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 lens that one of my sisters handed down to me, Jereme kindly bought me the f/1.4 as a birthday present a few years back and it’s become one of my favorites as well! As a family photographer, I normally use this lens for portrait sessions. It’s a prime lens, which means it does not zoom in or out at all. If you want to zoom in or out on your subject, then you have to move closer or further with your feet! The low aperture (“f” value) gives that beautiful, super-blurred background that I love love love.
Canon Powershot G12.
My Canon Powershot G12 point-n-shoot is just plain fun. I’ve had it for about 4+ years, and it really does take pretty amazing photos. It’s great to grab and stick in my purse or take along when I just don’t want to lug around the “big” camera. It has great video capability which comes in handy all the time. Plus, the 3-inch LCD display is super nice (and great for selfies since it rotates around to the front)! This was taken from the cockpit of our boat while under full sail (the G12 was the only camera handy and look how awesome of a shot it captured)…
GoPro Hero3.
This is one of the newer additions to my camera bag and another super awesome birthday gift from Jereme (he’s the best!). I was dying for something that was A. waterproof and B. very durable. The GoProis just that. Although I’ve pretty much used it exclusively for video or underwater photography, it has lots of other great uses too. Here are some of the fun videos we’ve made using the GoPro (and iMovie) and one of my favorite underwater photos from the Bahamas…
iPhone 5.
The iPhone’s camera really can take a very nice photo! And if you don’t have any other equipment, why not make the best of what you have? I am kinda-sorta obsessed with instagram and utilize iPhone photos exclusively when posting insties. But here’s a word to the wise…when using an iPhone for photos, make sure you only zoom with your feet. In other words, never ever use the little slider at the bottom of your screen – unless you prefer super low quality images. And speaking of the iPhone, I especially love using the VSCO photo editing app with my phone pics. The matt finishes in VSCO are my go-to filters for instagram.
Oh, and for anyone wondering, I really use an actual camera bag. My Epiphanie bag has definitely taken a beating over the past year and half, but I still love it!
So…what burning photo questions do you have for me? Want to know about my editing process or more about composition? Let me know what you want to see and I will try and deliver.
Happy shooting!
>>Thanks for visiting LAHOWIND sailing blog! We’d love for you to get to know us and follow our story as we attempt to navigate a whole new world of sailing, as we cruise the Caribbean. …Learn more about us and our sailing + cruising adventures.
Posted in Boat Life, Photography, Sailing BlogTags: Canon, Caribbean, Cruising, LahoWind, Photo Friday, Photography, Sailing Blog, Travel, Whats in my camera bag
I haven’t busted out one of these posts in awhile. And now that we are back in the land of regular cell service, I’ve been instagramming like it’s going out of style. All photos courtesy of my iPhone. :)))
>>Thanks for visiting LAHOWIND sailing blog! We’d love for you to get to know us and follow our story as we attempt to navigate a whole new world of sailing, as we cruise the Caribbean. …Learn more about us and our sailing + cruising adventures.
Posted in Boat Life, Puerto Rico, Sailing BlogTags: Boat Life Lately, Boaty Life, Caribbean, Cruising, iPhone Photos, LahoWind, Puerto Rico, Sailing Blog, Young Couple
Welcome to Puerto Rico…home of the guava donut!
Okay, that’s probably not the puerto rican tourism association’s slogan or anything, but they might want to seriously consider it. Because I cannot stop thinking about the insanely delicious guava donuts here in Puerto Real. I am starting to get a little concerned about having to leave this little fishing village because Jereme and I will no longer be able to walk to the bakery up the road and grab ourselves one, or a dozen, of these killer donuts.
^^third row, far right — the guava-filled powdered donuts that are rocking my world.^^
The guava ones have sorta become somewhat of a problem for me. You know, the I-don’t-want-to-eat-a-dozen-donuts-every-day-and-gain-100-pounds kind. It’s a really good thing that the bakery isn’t located closer to our marina, or I’d be in major major trouble.
And I usually hate jelly or anything-filled donuts. But these have broken the mold. And after three months sans donuts (while we were sailing through the Bahamas — where there are apparently no donuts allowed), I am making up for lost time.
These donuts are freaking amazing. I’m talking melt-in-your-mouth perfect pillowy powdery guava-y goodness. Probably the best donuts I’ve ever had. No, definitely the best.
So, if you ever find yourself in Puerto Real, Cabo Rojo, make darn sure to visit Mercado’s Bakery and try a guava powdered donut. You won’t be disappointed.
And, I just wrote 197 words on donuts. Crap, that’s scary.
Happy Tuesday.
>>Thanks for visiting LAHOWIND sailing blog! We’d love for you to get to know us and follow our story as we attempt to navigate a whole new world of sailing, as we cruise the Caribbean. …Learn more about us and our sailing + cruising adventures.
Posted in Boat Life, Other, Puerto Rico, Sailing Blog, Sailing LoveTags: Caribbean, Cruising, Guava Donuts, LahoWind, Puerto Real, Puerto Rico, Sailing Blog, Tuesday Tell-Tales
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We always felt comfortable leaving Bailey down below on the boat. There was only new time when something bad happened. How were we to know that the yacht club would be firing guns for their changing of the guard? We had a soft screen cover on the companionway which he charged through and ran away. Thank goodness for the nice lady who picked him up and called us. After that, we always put the screen boards in!
oh my gosh! how scary! We have a wood companionway door, so unless Oliver chews his way through it, we hopefully shouldn’t have that issue. I can’t even imagine. -Kim
Thanks for answering my question! So good to know in case we do decide to travel with a dog 🙂